And they're back!: Potholes return to Dindoshi flyover

Three days of heavy rainfall have ensured that motorists have a bumpy ride on the southbound stretch of the flyover; they also have to endure traffic jams and risk being involved in accidents

The recent heavy showers in the city have rendered the recently repaired Dindoshi flyover in Goregaon (East) a pothole-ridden mess. The uneven roads cause traffic jams by slowing down vehicles, and also expose two-wheelers to the risk of skidding.

POTHOLES PART TWO: More than 15 potholes are seen on the southbound stretch of the Dindoshi flyover. Pic/Nimesh Dave

It has been nothing but a comedy of errors at the bridge for the past few months. After nine slabs of the southbound stretch developed cracks underneath, as determined by an expert team from IIT-Bombay, it was put under repair in May. This process, too, was fraught with red tape, with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and Traffic police dithering over when to repair it and how much time to take for the work. The structure finally went under work on May 4, and the Traffic police gave MSRDC till May 31 to complete their job.

However, early showers caused potholes to appear on the bridge (‘Say hello to potholes on Dindoshi flyover’), after which MSRDC promptly blamed the Traffic police for not allowing enough time for the tar to settle down (‘MSRDC blames Traffic cops for potholes on Dindoshi flyover’). On top of this, the gantry that barred heavy vehicles from plying on the bridge also disappeared, causing further damage to the already weak topmost surface. The gantry is still nowhere to be seen and MSRDC are clueless.

Now, after the state agency filled up those potholes, fresh ones have shown their ugly faces. “On Friday morning, we saw a traffic jam stretching over half a kilometre at Dindoshi flyover. If these potholes are not repaired, then more jams will occur,” said a traffic police constable posted there.

This correspondent visited the spot and saw more than 15 potholes. MSRDC executive engineer B N Ohol remained unavailable for comment, despite several phone calls.